Hey everyone,

I am new here, but excited to be part of the community! I am looking to buy the Phantom 4 drone in the next couple of days, and I am looking for a tablet that will meet all of the specs required. I know there are many listed on the site, but what have you all found to work best? I am well versed with Andriod, so that is my preferance. I am looking to spend under $200 (cheaper if possible) on a tablet, since I want to devote it solely to flying. Has anyone tried the Samsung Galaxy Tab A - 8 inch or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 lite? If so, please post your experience! I want to make sure these tabs work with the Follow Me mode. I know many have GPS ability, but I am not sure if that is WiFi specific, or if it operates separately. Thank you all in advance!

Aloha algeplayer,

     The downloads page for your P4 lists the sanctioned options for Android devices - Requires Android 4.1.2 or later.Compatible with Samsung tabs 705c, Samsung S6, Samsung S5, Samsung NOTE4, Samsung NOTE3, Google Nexus 9, Google Nexus 7 II, Ascend Mate7, Huawei P8 Max, Huawei Mate 8, Nubia Z7 mini, Sony Xperia Z3, MI 3, MI PAD, Smartisan T1.

     That said, there are many in this Forum who have seen the nVidia Shield K1 perform flawlessly.  It is very popular.  And it comes in at about $200 although I have seen the price go up recently due to its popularity.  Good luck!

Aloha and Drone On!

Hello algeplayer24, here is a support device list which you can find in our official website.Hope it helps.

Nvidia shield 8 inch is one of the most popular choice. The two tablets you referred to doesn't seem to be very popular, some people have reported lagging issue.

I would recommend Ipad mini 2 or above.

I have happily been using the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8 inch. There are two things to mention about this. First of all, make sure to not use the auto brightness feature and to put the brightness up to 100%. A recent upgrade to the Android operating system version 6 made it's a little bit more difficult to connect to the remote controller. This may or may not have been fixed with the latest DJI go upgrade. I will not be able to test this out until at least next week. However, it is still doable to connect, although a little bit more difficult in terms of steps. Marty

Nvidia shield k1. that I have, and are 100% satisfied with. it cost around 199$

Jan Jensen Posted at 2016-7-27 06:45
Nvidia shield k1. that I have, and are 100% satisfied with. it cost around 199$

been looking at these for a while now, I love Nvidia, but havent made the plunge yet

mmarkoe Posted at 2016-7-27 06:41
I have happily been using the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8 inch. There are two things to mention about thi ...

Hello,
Does the follow me/GPS work okay?

I own the Galaxy s6 phone, and a Galaxy tab 4 8" tablet. App is installed on both, don't have the p4 just yet. Guy at best buy said uf the app runs then it should work. Same guy tried to sign me up for credit 3 times as I was heading for the door lol.

Thank you all for the help!
I think I am going to go for the Samsung Galaxy Tab A and see how it goes. I will be sure to post my results. I have heard of a few people using them and it being fine. I am more interested in Active Track over Follow Me right now. I can always use my phone if I need to use Follow Me! Thank you!

I can only say the in my opinion the iPad Mini 4 is the best yet. DJI has a close relationship with Apple and the IOS is the best operating system for a DJI product. Problem is that you will have to spend more than $200 for a tablet. Check with Ken (DJI) he uses the Android version and I remember that he bought a new Tablet a while back and was pleased with it.
You will really enjoy your new P4, the best Phantom yet.

I have the galaxy tab a a day it does everything that you will need.  I recommend it

Using a Galaxy Tab A 8 inch for a while It worked great until it performed an automatic software update to Android Version 6.0.1. Then it would not connect anymore. I had to go into developer settings and make a change each time I wanted to connect the drone. What a pain! I just bought a new Galaxy Tab 7-inch via Amazon for $129.00 which has Android version 5.1 which is working great. I'm going to use it only for the Drone and keep it in the case.

I'm also new to the forum. I have the Phantom 4 and using a LG G Pad X8.3 tablet (from Verizon) for the mobile device. No problems so far with the DJI GO app. From what I've read about problems with some tablets, it's best to put the tablet in airplane mode so you don't get any unwanted signals during flight (WiFi, Bluetooth, Text, phone calls, etc.).

Found a 32gb Nexus 7 II for 70 bucks at a pawn shop. Worked great, but took it back when I got an iPad Pro for my birthday

Did the setup last night on a new P4 and used the Galaxy tab 4 8 inch.  No complaints so far but then I have not actually flown yet just calibrations and normal setup fiddling around with it.

Should be testing it in the air by this weekend if the weather cooperates.
(nice bday gift stillpraiznhim) I guess you could say that's what this P4 quad is to myself even though the bday was back in May lol.

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8-inch works perfectly with the DJI Go app! It has GPS and everything required, and it has excellent quality. I would highly recommend it!

Used a galaxy tab A 8 inch initially as i found a good deal at costco for 225. I found it extremely difficult to work with however; didnt seem to want to connect to the phantom. tried all the aforementioned tricks listed above with the usb debugging and configuration set to MTP but just didnt want to connect. had to replug in usb several times or set config to none then back to MTP about 100 times before it would finally connect. by the end my battery would always be down below 90% it would take so long. i then found a galaxy tab A 7 inch at walmart for 160 that was just introduced in may; connects flawlessly everytime. although it has a slightly smaller display it has a much better pixel density, ~216ppi vs ~160, for a way better/clearer picture. it also has a slightly faster processor, 1.3 gHz vs 1.2, and same onboard memory, 1.5 Gb. only real downside seems to be that it only runs lollipop where the 8 inch has the marshmallow update. so with newer hardware, better price point and better screen i would highly recommend the tab A 7 over the tab A 8. just my 2 cents

Galaxy tab 4, 8 inch, working great and it's so old I don't think you can even buy these any more.  Glad I hung onto it!  Saved me $200-???

I haven't had much luck with either my Samsung 10.1 tablet nor my Samsung S6 Edge phone.  The S6 is listed as working with DJI Go, but mine breaks up the video feed too much.  I suspect it is a couple of things:  The background apps that always seem to remain somewhat dormant but then run (Facebook, Messenger, etc.) that I have to keep killing with Zapper (Wish I could get a clean OS of Android without resorting to a root OS install and without all the bloatware that comes pre-installed and re-waiting to relaunch.  I suspect some of the Adroid  slowness of their USB 2.0 for the signal to the RC unit, and maybe whatever streaming hardware is in the devices too.  Apple seems to push their faster streaming ability over Android along with their odd Lightning cable that has more terminals on it than a USB cable.

I reluctantly (Due to $$$) made the switch to an Apple iPad Air 2 + Cellular with the T-mobile data plan (I'm not an Apple fan!) and it has been without fault so far on the video feed against both my Androids which often break up in shades of green or red tearing and then the control from me hesitates at times on that breakup or lag.

I notice too the battery between the Apple and the Samsung differ in the drainage too. I was away from both tablets for 5 days and the Apple still had a 100% charge, and the Samsung was dead.  Android really needs to clean up their allowed or packaged bloatware and apps that seem to hog the resources.  Load a lot of apps and you soon have feed problems.  Apple seems to control the background app usage a lot better, imho.

Mack

I did have some issues with it in the beginning. I uninstalled the DJI Go App, and reinstalled it. Then, when you plug in the tablet to the controller, you should see a message come up that says something like "Would you like to open the DJI Go app with this device?" I click open, and do not check it as the default. Sometimes, that does not connect me to my aircraft, so I then leave the aircraft on, turn the controller off, and disconnect the device. Then I turn the controller back on, reconnect the device, wait for the message to come up, then click open. Usually by the second time, it works for me. Occasionally, on the Tab A 8 inch, the little pop up wont come up asking to open the app, so I will just unplug and plug back in until it does. It is frustrating, but it seems to have figured itself out, and I no longer have issues with it.

Hello, yesterday I bought asus ZenPad 8 with quad-core mediatek proc and 2GB ram. Works perfectly with my P4, so asus is my personal tip

Anyone use iPad mini 2? A great buy at 229. Was considering getting the Samsung Tab A 8 inch, it's around 200. After hearing all the issues others are having I think I would be better off with iPad. Thoughts please on iPad mini 2?

rodger Posted at 2016-7-28 21:38
I can only say the in my opinion the iPad Mini 4 is the best yet. DJI has a close relationship with  ...

Hey Roger, I'm looking into buying an iPad mini 4. Do I need the WiFi/Cellular version or just the WiFi version?

fireman01 Posted at 2016-8-19 04:33
Hello, yesterday I bought asus ZenPad 8 with quad-core mediatek proc and 2GB ram. Works perfectly wi ...

I am glad that device is working for you. On a side note, you need to change your avatar is you are not allowed to have a DJI logo.

davidzupec@comc Posted at 2016-8-20 05:02
Hey Roger, I'm looking into buying an iPad mini 4. Do I need the WiFi/Cellular version or just the ...

You only need cellular if you want to use the follow me function and to have live map view. But the maps you can cache  at home on Wi-Fi or just use your cell phone as a hotspot to get live map data when you get to your flank area

dgboo7@tampabay Posted at 2016-8-19 02:33
Anyone use iPad mini 2? A great buy at 229. Was considering getting the Samsung Tab A 8 inch, it's a ...

I use the Ipad mini2 and it seems great ( only had my phantom a week ) One thing I don't like is that the screen can be very difficult to see during afternoon hours. I've ordered a hood cover for it but it's not arrived yet. When the sun is lower in the sky it's much better, I think if I wear a Mexican hat and a black shirt it may be better again! Other than that niggle which I imagine will be same with most displays everything else about it seems fine.

Like it or not it's basically always been the case that the iPad / iOS experience has been a superior one in terms of DJI Go. Less lag, less bugs, more compatibility. If you're just buying a device for flying, buy an iPad Mini.

dgboo7@tampabay Posted at 2016-8-19 09:33
Anyone use iPad mini 2? A great buy at 229. Was considering getting the Samsung Tab A 8 inch, it's a ...

Just back from picking up one from BB. I had to wear a hat and sunglasses... I'm an Android fan...lol
I tried several Galaxy devices. 6.0.1 is a PITA to get a connection. 6.0 Android connects fine ??
Going to give this Apple a try. DJI seems to prefer there OS. No onboard GPS is a bummer but not a deal breaker for me.

Hello, I have asus ZenPad 8 with mediatec proc and 2gb ram. Working well with my P4

davidzupec@comc Posted at 2016-8-19 17:02
Hey Roger, I'm looking into buying an iPad mini 4. Do I need the WiFi/Cellular version or just the ...

Depends on how easy you want things. I have wi-fi and cellular. I don't use the cellular that often but it is nice to have. I guess it really boils down to your budget. The Mini 4 is a very nice tablet for many other uses as well.

Hi there I had the Galaxy TAB E 7 inch, I had to take it back because it could not handle the video while flying.
I kept getting all kinds of lines on the screen. Then When I pulled the SD card out of the drone and played it. it was perfect. So heads up I took the Tablet back and ordered a Nexus 7 it meets the specks and others on here say it works well. That's if you want to stay with Android.

Jan Jensen Posted at 2016-7-27 05:45
Nvidia shield k1. that I have, and are 100% satisfied with. it cost around 199$

Here's a link for this tablet at best buy.NVIDIA - SHIELD K1 - 8" - Tablet - 16GB - Black
I ended up with a iPad mini 4 myself.

dgboo7@tampabay Posted at 2016-8-18 17:33
Anyone use iPad mini 2? A great buy at 229. Was considering getting the Samsung Tab A 8 inch, it's around 200. After hearing all the issues others are having I think I would be better off with iPad. Thoughts please on iPad mini 2?

I had an iPad Mini 2 on my DJI Phantom 3 Pro and never once did I have an issue with anything.  Now I have a DJI Phantom 4 Pro and I use an iPad Mini 4.

I purchased the Samsung Tab A 8" just for the P4. Also picked up the passive range extenders (reflective).

phones have an advantage over tablets cause the phones have gps which may be used in follow me mode. howerver, tablets offer better screen view. i use an iphone 6 and an ipad air.

on my experience meeting with pilot here, ios device are better than andro. no marketing offense. ^_^

I have both Ipad and Samsung tablets , tested them both for a vile but ended up using only Samsung, just because I like it more.

I  got a refurbished iPad Air2 for use only with Phantom 4.  Lower cost then new iPad.  Allowed me to get better then the 16 gb  unit.  
As I have stated before....never have installed to GO> only GO4 and have had no problems at all.
I did use my wife's iPad while I waited for my Air to arrive and had small interruptions in vid  but not at all with iPad Air2.

I am torn.  I bought the Pro 4 + so that I would not have to contend with purchasing and maintaining a separate tablet device.  But I hadn't done enough research to understand that the plus is limited from being able to install 3rd party apps.  I am very interested in uGCS which requires an android app to be installed in order to transfer the mission plan to the bird.

Now I am looking at the expense of buying a normal 4 pro remote and a tablet.  I am an iOS guy on the mobile front and my 7 plus would probably work fine for the display on the remote but uGCS doesn't have an iOS app.

@DJI-Ken - Any chance DJI will open the Pro+ controller to installing 3rd party apps without having to root the device?